Tale 46.—Timur and the One-legged Geese.
One day the Khoja caused a goose to be cooked. He was about to present it to the King.
When it was nicely done he set off with it, but on the road he became very hungry. If the smell of it were to be trusted it was a most delicious bird! At last the Khoja could resist no longer, and he tore off a leg and ate it with much relish.
On arriving in the royal presence he placed the goose before Timur the King, who, when he had examined the Khoja's gift, was exceedingly annoyed.
"This Khoja is deriding me!" said he. And then in a voice of thunder he demanded, "Where is the other leg?"
"The geese of our country are one-legged," replied Nasr-ed-Deen, with much gravity. "If your Majesty does not believe me, be good enough to let your eyes be informed of the truth of what I say by looking at the geese at yonder spring."
As it happened there were a number of geese at the fountain, and they were all standing on one leg.
The King could not help laughing, but he called to his drummers and said, "March towards yonder fountain, and lay your drumsticks well about your drums."
The drummers forthwith began to drum, and they rattled away so heartily that all the geese put down their legs and ran off in alarm.
"O Khoja!" cried Timur, "how is this? All your geese have become two-legged!"